New Delhi [India]: The Southwest Monsoon has progressed further, covering additional parts of the south Arabian Sea, Maldives and Comorin area, south Bay of Bengal, the remaining Andaman Islands and Andaman Sea, and portions of the east-central Bay of Bengal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported on Friday.
According to the IMD, conditions are favourable for the monsoon to continue its advance over more areas of the south Arabian Sea, Maldives & Comorin, south and central Bay of Bengal, and some parts of the northeast Bay of Bengal within the next three to four days.
Meanwhile, extreme heat conditions continue to affect parts of northwest India. IMD scientist Dr Naresh Kumar said:
“We assume that for the next four-five days, some areas of Rajasthan will see heatwave, Uttar Pradesh will also see heatwave for the next three-four days…in Delhi, we have issued yellow alert today…After May 20 and by May 22, Delhi may witness light rainfall…”
Temperatures have surged up to 45°C in some regions of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab, he confirmed.
Delhi, however, saw some respite from the sweltering heat on Friday as rain showers brought temporary relief. The IMD had earlier forecast rainfall and thunderstorms for the region. Similar weather is expected to persist on Saturday.
“We expect thunderstorm activity to develop over Delhi in the evening today and tomorrow. Light rainfall is expected, and due to this, the temperature might fall to around 37 to 39 degrees Celsius,” said Akhil Srivastava, an IMD official.
The IMD has predicted that rainfall and thunderstorm activity will continue over several parts of the country in the next five days, indicating a shift towards pre-monsoon conditions and gradual heat relief in some regions.